Pneumatic switch



July 7, 1964 R. A. COMPARIN PNEUMATIC SWITCH 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 29 1961 INVENTOR ROBERT A. COMPARIN ATTORNEY July 7, 1964 R. A. COMPARIN PNEUMATIC SWITCH 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 29, 1961 July 7, 196 R. A. COMPARIN 3,139,895

PNEUMATIC SWITCH Filed Nov. 29, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG.5

United States Patent 3,139,895 PNEUMATIC SWITCH Robert A. Comparin, Zurich, Switzerland, assignor to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Nov. 29, 1961, Ser. No. 155,671 3 Claims. .(Cl. 137--81.5)

This invention relates to fluid switches, and more particularly to those employing control ports selectively chargeable with pressure fluid for diverting a main fluid stream to a corresponding outlet.

It is known to provide a switch of the above general type for diverting pressure fluid to either of two outlets. However, to supply pressure fluid to one of three or more outlets, it would be necessary to provide a plurality of such switches arranged in successive stages and in a mannot similar to that of a full or partial relay tree. For example, to switch or divert a fluid pressure stream to any one of four outlets, three switches would be required, arranged in two banks to provide two control stages. Two parallel arranged switches in the second bank would control outputs to the particular outlets 1 or 2 and 3 or 4, respectively; and the third switch, which is in the first bank and in series with those of the second bank, would select the particular second bank switch to which the pneumatic stream is to be diverted during the first stage.

Similarly, to switch a fluid stream to any one of between five and eight outlets would require three stages and up to seven switches; and to switch a stream to any one of between nine and sixteen outlets would require four stages and up to fifteen switches. In other words, the number of switches required would be one less than the number of outlet choices desired. Obviously, there is a considerable loss of energy in the various multiple stage pneumatic switch arrangements just described. Also, control ports are required to control each switch of these multiple stage switch arrangements, thus reducing the overall switching speed and efliciency of the device. Moreover, with such arrangements it is not possible to divert the inlet directly to an outlet corresponding to the algebraic sum or vectorial resultant of control jet streams supplied selectively to either one, two, or three control ports.

Accordingly, the principal object of this invention is to provide a switch capable of diverting a fluid stream in a single stage to a selectable one of three or more outlets, thereby to minimize the energy loss and increase the efliciency of the switch.

Another object is to provide an improved pneumatic switch device wherein a main stream may be diverted to any one of a plurality of outlets, and wherein an output to any particular outlet may be accomplished by supply of pressure fluid either to one, two, or three control ports concurrently.

According to these objects, the pneumatic switch embodying the invention comprises three or more outlets arranged in a ring and diverging at substantially equal angles from each other and from the axis of an inlet. Control ports equal in number to the number of outlets are arranged symmetrically about the inlet upstream of the outlets. Thus, when pressure fluid is supplied to one or more control ports, the stream of pressure fluid flowing through the inlet will be diverted to that particular outlet corresponding to the vectorial resultant of the fluid pressures directed to the control ports.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a central vertical section of a pneumatic switch embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the switch, partly broken away; and

FIG. 5 is an exploded isometric view of the switch.

As illustrated in the drawings, the pneumatic switch embodying the invention comprises a housing means including a cylindrical base 10, a ring 11 secured as by screws 12 to the upper face of said base, and a cylinder 13 press-fitted into the ring and supported on said base. A tapered bore 14 is cut coaxially through the cylinder 13 from the upper end thereof, terminating at its lower end in a small circle 15. This small circle is coaxially aligned with, and in fluid pressure communication with, an inlet 16 which is formed in the base 10 and is adapted to be supplied with fluid under pressure from a suitable source (not shown). The upper end of the cylinder 13 is counterbored to provide an annular shoulder 17 encircling the large diameter end of tapered bore 14. This shoulder serves as a positioning seat for the flanged part 18 of a tapered member 19. The tapered part of member 19 extends with considerable radial clearance into the tapered bore 14, thus providing a tapered annular chamber between the wall of said bore and the tapered exterior of said member.

As illustrated, this annular chamber is divided into six symmetrical annular sector-shaped chamber 20 to 25 inclusive by a like number of partition elements 26. Each partition element comprises a knife blade 27 inset into a slit in the end of a plate-like piece that is wedged or otherwise secured within radial slits 28 cut in and extending downwardly from the upper end of cylinder 13 to a plane X which passes through the apex of tapered member 19.

Six half-moon recesses 29 are bored symmetrically from the upper end of tapered member 19 and blend into the tapered exterior of said member to define respective outlets 26a, 21a, 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a, by each of which pressure fluid is conveyable from the corresponding chamber 20 to 25 to one or more utilization devices (not shown). These recesses 29' are preferably positioned substantially midway between adjacent partition elements 26; and to maintain them in such position, suitable means, such as screws 30, connect the flanged part of member 19 with the cylinder 13.

Six control ports 31 to 36 are provided in base 10 and arranged in a ring and equally spaced about the axis of inlet 16. The axes of the control ports are parallel to the axis of inlet 16, and inlet 16 is coaxially aligned with tapered member 19. Each control port 31 to 36 is connected to inlet 16 by a corresponding separate radial channel 37 provided in the upper face of base 10. When any of the control ports is charged with pressure fluid, a jet of control fluid will be directed from such port at generally right angles to the axis of the stream of pressure fluid then flowing upward from inlet 16. Such jet or jets will divert the stream to a desired one of the outlets 20a to 25a, as will now be explained more fully.

Assume that a stream of pressure fluid is being supplied to inlet 16, and that pressure fluid is also being supplied to control port 31 for directing a jet of control pressure fluid rightward as viewed in FIG. 1 via its corresponding radial channel 37 toward inlet 16. The inlet stream will thus be diverted rightward, as viewed in FIG. 2, to outlet chamber 23 and the outlet 23a. It is to be noted that the stream may also be diverted to outlet chamber 23 and outlet 23a by concurrent supply of pressure fluid to fluid to control ports 36, 31 and 32, or by concurrent supply of pressure fluid to control ports 36 and 32. In similar manner, by supply of pressure fluid to any one of the other control ports 32 through 36 or by concurrent supply of pressure fluid to a selected array of two or more control ports, an output may be obtained in that par- C9 ticular outlet which corresponds to the vectorial resultant of the pressure fluids supplied to such control ports.

With the configuration illustrated in the drawings, continued supply of pressure fluid to an array of control ports is required to assure continued output from the selected outlet.

It will thus be seen that, in a single stage operation, an output can be obtained from that outlet to which is directed the vectorial resultant of the pressure fluid supplied to one, two, or three control ports. Thus, this switch device can provide outputs under a variety of conditions corresponding to the net eflectin other words, the algebraic sum or difference-of the control jet streams directed toward the inlet just upstream of the apex of the tapered member 19. Thus, a multiple switching function of the type presently performed by a relay tree or a pneumatic switch tree may be implemented in a single stage to maintain at a minimum the energy losses resultant from friction and turbulence in the flow of fluid.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A pneumatic switch device comprising means providing an inlet chargeable with a first pressure fluid to provide a fluid power stream, at least three outlets arranged in a ring and diverging at equal angles from each other and from the axis of the inlet, and a number of control ports equal to the number of outlets and arranged symmetrically about the inlet upstream of the outlets, said control ports being selectively chargeable with other pressure fluid to control diversion of the stream into selected outlets by directing jets substantially at right angles to said axis for diverting the stream of pressure fluid flowing through the inlet from its original direction to a new direction corresponding to the direction of the vectorial resultant of the fluid pressure jets supplied from the selected control ports.

2. A pneumtaic switch comprising a housing means providing a generally conical recess; a conical member disposed within the recess with substantial radical clearance so as to provide a tapered annular channel between it and the housing means; and a plurality of partition elements at equal angles from each other projecting through the channel to divide it into a corresponding plurality of sector-like chambers; said housing means providing an inlet chargeable with a first pressure fluid for directing a stream of said first pressure fluid substantially coaxially toward the apex of said conical member, an outlet from each chamber, and a corresponding plurality of symmetrically spaced control ports open to the inlet just upstream of said apex and also open to the chambers intermediate adjacent partition elements and selectively chargeable with a second pressure fluid to cause such pressure fluid to be supplied to at least one selected pair of control ports, each port of any such selected pair being equiangularly spaced from and opposite a desired chamber and outlet, whereby said second pressure fluid will deflect the stream as it leaves the inlet, to that desired chamber and outlet aligned with the vectorial resultant of the fluid pressures supplied to said selected control ports.

3. A switch device comprising means providing an inlet chargeable With a first pressure fluid, at least three outlets downstream of the inlet and diverging at substantailly equal angles from each ohter and from the exit end of the inlet, means within the device isolating each of the outlets from the others to cause fluid diverted into a particular one of said outlets to discharge only from such outlet, and a number of control ports equal to the number of outlets and arranged symmetrically about the inlet upstream of the outlet, said control ports being selectively and concurrently chargeable with other pressure fiuid to direct jets toward the stream as it discharges from the inlet for diverting such stream from its original direction to a new direction that corresponds to the direction of the vectorial resultant of the fluid pressure jets supplied from such selected control ports for causing the stream to be diverted into that particular outlet which is disposed in said new direction from the axis of the inlet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,381,095 Starr June 7, 1921 3,001,539 Hurvitz Sept. 26, 1961 3,024,805 Horton May 13, 1962 3,039,490 Carlson June 19, 1962 3,071,154 Cargill et al. Jan. 1, 1963 3,080,886 Severson May 12, 1963 

1. A PNEUMATIC SWITCH DEVICE COMPRISING MEANS PROVIDING AN INLET CHARGEABLE WITH A FIRST PRESSURE FLUID TO PROVIDE A FLUID POWER STREAM, AT LEAST THREE OUTLETS ARRANGED IN A RING AND DIVERGING AT EQUAL ANGLES FROM EACH OTHER AND FROM THE AXIS OF THE INLET, AND A NUMBER OF CONTROL PORTS EQUAL TO THE NUMBER OF OUTLETS AND ARRANGED SYMMETRICALLY ABOUT THE INLET UPSTREAM OF THE OUTLETS, SAID CONTROL PORTS BEING SELECTIVELY CHARGEABLE WITH OTHER PRESSURE FLUID TO CONTROL DIVERSION OF THE STREAM INTO SELECTED OUTLETS BY DIRECTING JETS SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID AXIS FOR DIVERTING THE STREAM OF PRESSURE FLUID FLOWING THROUGH THE INLET FROM ITS ORIGINAL DIRECTION TO A NEW DIRECTION CORRESPONDING TO THE DIRECTION OF THE VECTORIAL RESULTANT OF THE FLUID PRESSURE JETS SUPPLIED FROM THE SELECTED CONTROL PORTS. 